Forming apparatus for wool hat and other tubular felt bodies



Nov. 16, 1937. G. .1. coRPoRoN FoRMTNG APPARATUS FOR woor'J HAT AND OTHER TUBULAR FELT BODIES Filled Aug. e, 193e s sheets-sheet 1 f 63 75' 7l al 8a sa 80 85 7473 7 7e 7a .69 95' 6768 8e 706B 96 6l W 66 3 64 '5:9 6 58 ll l I l 56 a A /a f7 54 f A f .56 l 55,54 45 f /e/ Il` ,J 4l w. l 40 5a 504. 4 "le 9 /0 I8/ "1T1 Nov. 16,1937. G., J CQRPORON 2,099,330

FORMING APPARATUS FOR WOOL HAT AND OTHER TUBULR FELT BODIES.

Filed Aug. 6, 199s` 5 sheetssheet 2 NOV. 16, 1937.- I 1 CORPQRON 2,099,330

FORMING APPARATUS FOR WOOL' HAT AND OTHER TUBULARl FELT BODIES -Filed Aug.r e, 193e s sheets-sheet s by ma MM www .uufr I7 frame in section;

' Patented Nov.' 16, 1937 PATENT ori FQRMING APPARATUS FOB WOOL HAT AND 1 OTHER TUBULAR FELT BODIES Y GeorgeV J. Corpcron, Newburyport, Mass., as-V 'sgnor to Merrimac Hat'Corporation, Ames;

bury, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts AimputationAugust 6, 1936, serial No. 94,625

9 claims. (o1. 19g-"149)V Y lL I-shaped bearing bracket `for the roller-support- My present invention relates to apparatus for forming tubular bodies of felt, as in the manufacture of wool hats .and other wool feltarticles, and more particularly `aims to provide in association with such apparatus novel and improved means for severingthe tubular` felt transversely into the individual hater other article bodies.

In the drawings illustrating'by way of example oneform of apparatus embodying the invention, `fl'ig. 1 lshows a wool'hat-body forming 'apparatus, inside'elevation, with a portionrof the i lig. 2, upon `a larger scale, corresponds to a portionk of Fig. i, includingr the body cutting i means and the associated form or block onfwhich Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the upper portion of the forming apparatus including` the forming block, portions of the cutting mechanism being broken away; Y

' .'Fig; 4 is a plan lof the forming block and its K supporting rolls', showing the ylimit positions of their horizontal swinging movement; Y Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

and 4 Fig. 6 isa longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale,through the central peripheral portion of the forming block, corresponding to the top centralportion rof-Fig. 3, including a portion of the cutter disk, and the cooperating drive means therefor on the' block.

Referring now more particularly to thel drawingsthe apparatus as a whole which I have se-V lected for the purpose of illustrating my. .present 'i inventionis a wool hat-body former, of the Zimmerman-type, being'generally similar toY that disclosed, Vfor example, in United States Patent No. 212,910 of March 4,V 1879. It will be understood, however, that 4in its broader aspects the invention is Yapplicable Vin connection with anyV hearing `3 Afor the top pivot post 4.0i' the main,

. wardly projecting arm l-upturned at its rear V or horizontally swinging, roller-:frame 5.7 The latter hasja lower` pivot on the bed-plate, iny vertical line with the pivot iL-as at G. This main rollerrame includes `the upright yportion seen adjacent the :vertical pivot axis ,t referred to, and a rear- Vright ,end,'lig. Landforming with the upper frontfuportion 'not this main roller-frame a ing frames or yoiies and 3; see also Fig. 3.

The pair of yokes 8 and 9 are hung on a common horizontal axis by means of the pivot pins il! and lil on the upper front portion of the main roller-frame 5 and on the arm 'i thereof, respectively. On these yokes arermounted in the usual manner the two pairs of form-supporting conical rolls i2, l2, one vpair on eachyoke, at the two sides of the machine, each roll being rotatable on its own axis and the four rolls being disposed on their yokes solas to provide a V-shaped cradle for the felt-receiving `forming block or former indicated as a whole by the .numeral I3.

Such former, for felt hat bodies, has the generalform of a pair of opposed truncated cones base tobase and rounded at their smaller ends.

Various lsizesof formers may be used depending on the size and type of hat, and the supportingrolls l2 are adjustable ina vertical plane to conform to formers of the diierent'sizes, by moving the yokes 8, S toward vor from each other about their horizontal axis iii, Il by means of an adjusting,screw i4, Fig. l. The forming block in each instancerestsfreely on the conical supporting rolls i2 and is frictionally driven by them, to wind on the Ylaporwebof wool W comingfrom the carding machine', not shown.

`The supporting rolls SIZ are'rotatively driven in the usual'or any preferred manner, as for example in said zPatent 212,910, the pair of rolls at one side the machine being driven from the opposite pair, by ring gears at their bases. The driving pair of rolls has gearing connection with a shaft i5, Fig. 1, journaled in oneoi the yokes 8, 9 and itself driven through a gear train i6 on the main, swinging frame, 5. The end gear of this train is fast on a Short shaft I 'i carried by said main frame and havingat its inner end a gear (not shown) meshing with a gear i8 on the mainshaft it, vsaid gears being so disposed and having their. teeth so Vformed as vto enable them to` remain in mesh `in any position of swinging movement of the main frame 5 about its vertical' axis A., ii, between the approximate limit positions shown in Fig.' 4; VThe main shaftV i9, carried by bearing "and .the forming blocky I3, lis swungV steadily in one and the opposite direction upon its vertical pivot axis li, 6,. toand froin'the position such as llustratediin Eig. 4, so as to present first one end and then the other of the block toward the web coming from the card. In this manner the wool web is caused to cover the rounded ends of the conical block and to build up on it a closed-end tube of felt.

The mechanism for so swinging the block and its supporting frame may be such as more fully shown in said Patent 212,910. As seen inFirg. 1, the main shaft carries a gear cone 24 for selective engagement with a shiftable pinion 25 on a countershaft 26, whereby the latter may be driven at variable speeds correspondingly to vary the speed of the swinging movement of the block I3 as required for different sizes of the latter. This countershaft is journaled in a rock frame 27 pivotally supported on the bed-plate as at 28 and 29 for movement on a horizontal axis, so as to engage or disengage the pinion 25 with the gear cone 24. A pedal 36 on the extended pivot rod 3| coaxial with the pivot 28 is provided for rocking the countershaft frame 21, to start and.

stop the swinging movement of the block I3 and its frame 5.

Referring still to Fig. 1, a bevel -pinion 32 on the countershaft 26 meshes with a'like pinion 33 on a short shaft 34 on the countershaft frame 2T. At the lower end of said shaft is a gear .35 which drives a toothed crank-disc 36 for ,reciprocatingl a cross-head 31 and link 38 connected to a laterally projecting arm 39 on the main frame 5, similarly as in the patent referred to. The longitudinal movement of this link is `eiective to swing the frame, the block-supporting rolls and the forming block, in the horizontal plane, alternately between the positions as represented in Fig. 4.

The mechanism.y as described to this point may be of standard or any preferred construction, of which 4that of the Patent 212,910 is an early example. It will be understood that the lap or web of felt coming lfrom the card and winding onto the forming block builds up into .a closed-end tube, until the desired weight of felt has been reached, suitable for the particular hat bodies or other articles being manufactured. When the desired weight of vfelt has been attained, Athe resulting felt tubeV must be severed transversely and removed from the block. In the case of a hat forming machine such as shown, utilizing a double-ended conical block,.the felt tube is cut circumferentiallyat its central portion,' of largest diameter, thus providing two hat bodies.

I-Ieretofore so far as I am aware it has been customary .for Athe operative to` perform this cutting operation by the use of sheep shears or the like, held in the hand. This manual cutting operation requires considerable skill and training on Vthe part of the operative. It is particularly 1dimcult by reason of the vswinging movement of the block, being generally done while the block is in motion, since it is undesirable to interrupt the latter because the wool web continues to be fed out from the card Vand must constantly be taken up on the block.

In accordance with my present invention I have provided means for automatically perfo-rming the` felt cutting operation, under the control of and at the will of the operative. As herein illustrated said means is constructed and arranged and so related tothe machine as a whole and particularly to the forming block that it follows the swinging movement of the latter, in

readiness to perform the cutting operation at any selected instant. In the illustrated example my cutting mechanism is operated from and by the block itself, which latter is specially constructed for the purpose.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, the top pivot post 4 for the main frame 5, having bearing support at 3 in the upper end of the stationary front standard 2, is formed as a detachable post, see particularly the lower portion of Fig.. 2, xedly pinned in .the upper part of the swinging frame 5, as by the pin 4a.- VThis pivot post 4 is extended upwardly beyond the stationary standard 2 where it is provided with a collar 43 on which is received the slotted head 4| of a horizontal stud 42; seeV also Fig. 5. A bearing washer 4Ia may be provided between the collar 45 and head 4|. The post 4 extends upwardly through the head 4I and is threaded to receive a nut 43 for retaining the stud 42 in position to support the cutter mechanism to be described.

Y The Vstud 42 and the parts carried thereby are bodily adjustable both angularly of the axis of the post 40 and crofssWise thereof, by reason of the slotted formation 44 of the head 4i. Opposed clamping screws 45, 45 having lock nuts 46 are tapped through the head 4I and are engageable at .their inner ends with the upper portion 'of` the post'. 4, to secure the stud 42 in the desired adjusted position thereon. The collar 40 of the post 4 may be provided with .a lubricant receiving connection 4l Vvcommunicating-with a longitudinal channel 48 4in thelpost 4, Fig. 5, having `an outlet as at 49 supplying lubricant to the postsupporting bearing 3.

Turning again to Fig. 2, the supporting stud 42 carries a base block 'SG'apertured atY its lower portion yto receive the Istud. This base block is angularly adjustable about the axis offthe stud 42, being held in the desired fposition thereon ,as by the inner nut 5i and the outer nut 52 lthreaded on the stud. At its .upper portion the base block 56 is recessed to form vertical ears 53 which are apertured in alignment to receive the horizontal pivot pin 54 of the cutter post `55. The latter is adjustable about the axis of the vpivot v54, and is hed-in xed adjusted position as by tightening the securing nut 54a on the pin 54. Fine adjustment may be had by means of an adjusting screw 56 threaded through a lug 5I rising from thebase block 5B.

v On the cutter post-55 is adjustably positioned a bracketV 58 'having a split collar portion 59 at its lower end received on the post and provided with tightening screws 65, 60 for adjustably securing the bracket at the desired height on the post. An adjustable extension 6I at the upper end of the bracket 58 constitutes the direct support for the cutter arm 62. Ears -63 at 'the lower end of said extension straddle the reduced upper end of the bracket 58, said parts being apertured to receive a horizontal pivot pin 54 having a nut 55 for securing the extension 6| in the desired position of adjustment relative to the bracket 58. The latter has an upwardly projecting ngerii carrying an adjusting screw 61 having a lock nut 68, for obtaining fine adjustment of the extension 6|.

The cutter head comprises the cutter arm 52 referred to and associated parts. One end of the cutter arm is pivoted as at 69 Vbetween ears `'ill on the extension 6I. At its opposite, free end is an Varcuate housing H for the cutter member proper, herein a rotary steel cr other cutter disk i2. This cutter disk is rotatably supported on a shaft a3 heid in bearings 'I4 on the housing 1I.

The cutter arm 62 and the cutter disk 'l2 Athereon are normally held upin inoperative'position,

desired time.

accesso:` y y noted', forieXample, that the top surfaces ofthe out of engagement withthe forming block lu3,as by means of a'sprin'gfl havingoneend attached tothe arm 2 lor yhousing-li, as to the lugl 16 on .theV latter,V the other end 'l of the spring being se-.v cured to aiingerv il projecting upwardly from the extension 6l. l Y,

Means is provided whereby* the operative may instantly throw the cutter into operation Aat any ranged that the cutter disk willfautomatically remain in active positionv untilV subsequently released. For this purpose Irhave' provided'aV cutter operating lever 8i) having-.a h'andleportion 8-I and Y a forked portion which straddles the extension-6l and is pivoted on the latter-as at 82. Beyond said pivot, the forked portion. of said 4operating lever 80 has journaled on it as at 83 a cam roll 84adapted to engagea plate S5 on'the upper face-of the Y cutter armV S2 when the operating lever is swung upwardly and toward the right 'in Fig; 2,:in the direction indicated by 'the arrow. The upper end of the spring-securing nger 'l1 is adaptedrto serve as a stop for the inward movement of the operating'lever, in the dotted line position of the latter as shown inv Fig. 2.

The pivot point d2 of the operating lever and its spring are so disposed that the roll 34V at the lower end of the lever .may Vcross center with -respect to a perpendicular t the cutterarm 62y and the plate thereon; inv passing between the vfull line and thekdotted line position of the lever.

Y Hence the operatinglever and the cutterrarm and its .cutter disk are retained in either of said positions 'by the spring 15, so that the cutteriidisk automatically holds its, active or inactive position as thecase may be.; The plate 85 engaged by thecam roll B4 of the operating lever desirably is of spring metalfand bears against a comparatively heavy spring 85 on Ythe cutter arm,rfo1; a purpose to be referred to later'. v f,

As previously stated, the cutter Adisk iscooperatively driven by the forming block I3', the

latter ybeing particularly constructed and arranged for that purpose. Referring toFig. 6, and noting also Figs. 2 and 3,Y the mediaL largest jdiametered portion of the block is provided with a driving engagement directly on ,the-,bands l, along v,

circumferential channel` @t into whichtheperiphery of the disk projects in its active position,

asY represented in said figures;` The conical forming blocks such as the element i3 are usually built of wood. In such-caseaand as illustrated herein, I supplement the channel 90, in theblock by tting into it a metal or other annular band 9i, the outer portion ofwhich is itself channeled as indicated at 9de. At the bottom of this channel I secure` as by screws Silfaliner.- ring or detachable cutter track 93 of suitable metal or other material, for example, a fairly hard bronze, adapted to have Yfrictionalv driving 4engagement with the edge of the cuttergdisk, as best seen inFig. 6. While such liner membermay sometimes be dispensed with, allowing the disk to have thebottom surfaceA of the channel; Silaljhave foundit a substantial convenience and .other-A wise desirable to employ1a. readily-replaceable track element such as the easily demountable ring 93. Such element may quickly' be `removed `and refinished or a new one substitutedrin vcaseit' becomes objectionably scored or worn-by the cut-l ter disk, whereas it lwould be practicallyimpossible to replace the entire band 9| which generally requires to berbuilt into theyblock I3 initially, during the constructionof the latter and as a substantiallyV integral portion of it. It will be Such f means' desirably' soarband, at the .opposite .sides iof the vchannel 90a; are sloped inconformitywith the adjoining sury facesfof. the blockitself, as at 9W, so as to continue-'the latter without interruption completely tothe actual cutter channel Sila. Y When the cutter is thrown in by the operative,

the'dis'kr'lZ first engages and quickly penetrates the layerrof. wool felt W on and traveling with thefblock I3, and comes into driving engagement withthecutter track 593, receiving rotation from the latter. VThe cutter. is left in said active position until the complete circumference of the block has rotated pastitv and the felt tube has been completely severed, into two hat bodies in thefpresent example,

As notedabovathe plate 85 on the cutter arm overlies a spring 8% seated on said arm.' In the inoperativer position ofj the cutter this spring is not loaded, as the cam roll 84 is disengaged from the plate. Incidentally, the cutter arm is at such time limited in its upward movementby engagement of the lug 'I6 against thecam roll which in turn comesragainst the fixed finger 'I'LV Inl theproper adjusted position of all the parts, the cutter arm is so disposed that when Athe operating. lever 8.0 is raised to throw in the cutter, the movement of 'said lever and its cam roll 84 may be continued somewhat beyond the point at which the cutter disk comes into contact with its track 93. VSuch continuedmovementof the cutterY lever vcauses the cam roll V'further to de# press'the'platef 85 -sopas Vto`loacl the spring; .Y

This 'accordingly forces and Vholds the cutter disk in spring-pressed yielding driven V'engagement with itsV track', underadequate pressure to insure proper driving of the. disk to Vobtain a clean' cut-4 ting action upon thefelt'.V This pressure may be accurately and finely adjustedthrough the medium of the several adjustments previously ref ferred to, the desired setting being obtained by manipulation of the lower adjusting screw 56 and the upper or final adjusting screw 6l. Larger adjustments,'such as may be required in shifting to'a'y forming block of a different size, may be had uby'iraising or lowering thebracket 58 on the `post55, aswell as by tilting the latter about its pivot r54,. Further, thewhole cutter assembly n may'beadjusted torcenter thedisk on its track,

byshifting--the stud 42 crosswise the pivot post 4,

Ycutting'operation and' overcoming any tendency of -the. cutter-to displace orY deform the felt. As illustrated, such'meansherein comprises a combined==feltpresserV Yand guard element 95 in the form `of aspiing metal "or other yieldable strip ,longtudinally'slotted tostraddle the cutterdisk and secured at one end to the-cutter arm, as by one or more screws 95. This presser strip is arcuate, approximately complementing the cutter y housing;.1,-sothat' inV thefinactive'position 1of Y thefcuttergas in f-ull line inFig.'2,-the edge por# tion Vof the latter is substantially completely enclosed( Y The opposite end of the` presser strip or guard 95 extends vthrough an v'eye 91 on the cutter housing H and is bent down as at 98 to hook over said eye. When the cutter is thrown in, this presser or guard element 95 engages lightly upon the outer face of the felt, closely adjacent the cutter disk, as illustrated in the dotted line position in Fig. 2, where it is elective to clear the felt from the cutter, both before and behind the latter, and to keep the felt in'place on the block. It also continues its function of shielding the cutter, reducing possibilityof accident in the event of carelessness on the part of the operative.

The hooked end 98 of the strip is free to lift away from the eye Sil', during a cutting operation, as seen in said Fig. 2.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that I have provided automatic cutter means for felttube forming machines, said means having capacity for universal adjustability, to meet all operating conditions. In actual practice the present invention, as typified in the means herein illustrated for the purposes of explanation, has produced more regular, rapid and otherwise improved cutting of the felt tubes, particularly for hat bodies, with less required skill or training on the part of the operatives.

My invention is not limited to the particular embodiment thereof illustrated and described herein, and I set forth its scope in Vmy following claims:

I claim:

1. In a felt-body forming apparatus for hat and like bodies, said apparatus including a rotatable former supported for horizontal vswinging movement, in combination therewith, a rotary cutter having operative and inoperative positions relative to said former, means .coaxial with vthe axis of swinging movement of said former for Y rotatably supporting the cutter' to swing With said former, and means carried by said supporting means for rendering said cutter operative .or inoperative at the will of the operator and :indifferently during a swinging or non-swinging status of said former.

2. An automatic cutter device for felt-body forming apparatus employing a swinging rotary former, comprising, in combination, sup-porting means adapted for mounting ony said apparatus in position to swing with said former, a cutter arm movably carried by said means, a. cutter disk rotatably mounted on said arm, means for moving said arm to and from a position of operative engagement ofthe cutter disk with said former to sever` a felt-body thereon, means for automatically retaining said arm and cutter disk optionally in or out of said operative position.

3. An vautomatic cutter device for felt-body forming apparatus employing a swinging rotary former, comprising, in combination, supporting means adapted for mounting on said -apparatus in position to swing with said iormer,.a cutterv arm movably carried by said means, a cutter disk rotatably mounted on said arm and Yoperable to sever -a felt-body on said former'by peripheral driven engagement of the latter, and means providing for universal bodily adjustmentV of the cutter disk relative to a former in position on the apparatus. Y

4. A felt-body former for felt-body (forming apparatus, comprising, a main rotatable body velement or block adapted for free frictional driving support on such apparatus, a vcircumferential groove formation on said body element at a desired line oftr-ansverse severance of a felt-body to be wound thereon, a cutter-track holding ring xed in said groove formation and itself Vhaving an'external peripheral grooved portion, and a cutter track element removably secured in said grooved portion of said ring.

Y 5. Ina felt-body forming machine having a swinging rotary. former block on which the felt bodyis formed, a rotary cutter, drive means for the cutter on the forming block, a pivoted arm carrying the cutter, and supporting means for the arm including a post mounted for axial turning :movement inangular alignment with the swinging former block.

6. In a felt-body forming machine having a swinging rotary former block on which the felt body is formed,'a rotary cutter, drive means for the cutter on the forming block, a pivoted arm carrying the cutter, supporting means for the arm including a post mounted for axial turning movement Yin angular alignment with the swinging former block, and means for universally adjusting'the position ofthe cutter relative to said block.

7. In a felt-body forming machine having a swinging rotary'former block on which the felt body is formed, a rotary cutter, drive means for the cutter on the forming block, and supporting means on the machine for said cutter, said means comprising an upright pivot post,'a collar on and adjustable angul-arly and laterally ofv said post, a studv extending from said collar, a base block on said stud and angularly adjustable axially of it, a cutter post -adjustably supported by said block, a bracket on and adjustable lengthwise said post, an adjustable extension member on said bracket, and a cutter arm movably held on said extension member.

8. In a felt-body forming machine having a swinging rotary former block on which the felt body'is formed, a rotary cutter, drive means for the cutter on the forming block, and supporting means on the machine for said cutter, said means including a pivoted cutter arm, and upright supporting means for the cutter arm, said means being mounted for movement with the swinging former block and including a plurality of adjustable connections affording universal adjustability of the cutter position.

9. Felt-body forming mechanism for hat and like bodies, comprising, in combination, a main stationary frame, a roll-frame, upper and lower pivotal connections for supporting the roll-frame for horizontal swinging movement on the main frame, a set of rotatably driven supporting rolls on the roll-frame, a rotatable body-former supported on and driven by the rolls, said rolls and former swinging with said roll-frame, a rotary cutter disk adapted for circumferential engagement with said body-former to sever a felt body wound thereon, and cutter supporting mechanism mounted coaxially with the pivotal connections of the roll-frame and main frame and connected to Aswing with the roll-frame, whereby the cutter may be operatively engaged with the body-former in any position of the roll-frame and during the swinging thereof, said mechanism including means normally holding the cutter in inactive position.

' GEORGE J. CORPORON. 

